Suffocating
by HugglesXKitten
Summary: It was hot. Not all of us were thinking straight. We all expected to be injured in the final battle. We never expected this. Miroku's POV. Oneshot. AC


**Suffocating**

This was it. The final battle. We all raised our weapons. Each of us wore our vicious determination and hatred on our sleeves.We all felt that we _had_ to win this time, or it was all over.

The day had started as a normal jewel-hunt. The sun had been high in the sky since it had risen. The smoldering heat made each of us sweat profusely. I felt so grimey underneath my robes and had been daydreaming of a nice lake, in which the lovely ladies Sango and Kagome reclined, eyeing me invitingly, when a shrill screech echoed through the air. I broke out of my silent reverie.

I saw InuYasha's white ears per up as his clawed hand flew to the hilt of the Tetsusaiga, ready for anything. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up, signalling that a massive demonic miasma was heading towards us. I tightened my hold on my staff and surveyed the trees around us.

Moments later the evil one stepped out from the trees. His dark hair waved out past his shoulders, upon ahich were two heavy armour plates. His eyes were set in a distinctive smirking sneer.

"Naraku," I heard my self say as I did every other time we saw him. His eyes moved to mine and I felt a prickle of fear. I knew I couldn't use the wind-tunnel, or he would call the venemous Saimyosho to his side. If I sucked them in during this battle I would surely die. I heard the vicious _kukuku_ of his laugh as he stepped foreward.

A ferocious battle ensued.

Half way through the battle I heard a scream. I turned to see Lady Kagome sprawled on the ground, squirming to get up. InuYasha jumped, growling, and cut off the tenacle that had hit her so hard to knock her over. When he helped her up gently, I heard her assure him that she was fine. Suddenly, I got this paranoid feeling.

"Monk! Behind you!" I heard Sango call out to me. I turned just in time to lift my staff and cut the tentacle that would have lodged itself into my shoulder. Large chunks of throbbing demon flesh flew everywhere. I turned quickly towards Sango, who was riding on her flying demon-cat Kilala. I nodded to her and the look of intense worry left her face.

"Kilala, down!" ordered Sango, and the large cat and her master landed beside him. Kilala pounced on the nearest vile growth.

"Thank you, Sango." I noticed as her cheeks coloured the tiniest bitand my heart swelled with love. I smiled. "Shall we?" Sango nodded as we stood back to back, readying our weapons.I smirked. She was a perfect partner.

As the flailing limbs approached, we moved in unison.

"Up there! To your right! Behind that boulder!" Our little two-step went on for quite some time. I was starting to to get tired when it happened. Sango went to defent Lady Kagome and the little kitsune Shippo. I should have been paying more attention, but my fatigue was enhanced by the burning heat. It was then that things started going terribly wrong. I was trying to focus, but my aching limbs made me half a second late.

"Miroku!" Four voices yelled simultaniously. Then I blacked out.

When I woke up, all I could see was flames. I sat up hastily, just to realize that it was a cook- fire with fish over it. I looked around, shading my eyes from the glare.

Kagome was sitting with her back to me, near the edge of a river that I could not remember passing. Shippo lay next to a bandaged Kilala. Both were asleep.

"So, you're awake," said a quiet, yet rough, voice, "it's about time." I turned to InuYasha.

"InuYasha," my voice was raspy, so I cleared it, "What happened?"His normally open eyes darkened. I tried to think of what that could mean, but my head was pounding and dizzy. I raised my hand to my head, feeling the giant goose-egg on my forehead, and noticed that my right hand was no longer wrapped in it's prayer beads that held in my curse. I stared in disbelief, feeling a sudden wave of ecstasy wash over me. _The wind-tunnel was gone_.

"We did it?" I was stunned. "We really defeated Naraku!?" InuYasha nodded, but the dark shadow never left his eyes. I could not see any reason for such gloom.

"Miroku... Sango..." My heart leapt into my throat. Sango. My wind-tunnel was gone. I could marry her. I could live with her. She would bear my children. We could be _happy_. A smile began to form on my face. Then I saw InuYasha frown as he looked away from me. Suddenly, an icy panic like I have never known took the place of my happiness. Two facts sunk in. One was that, even though he had obtained his revenge, InuYasha did not look happy. The other was that Sango was nowhere to be seen. A huge lump formed in my throat.

"InuYasha," my panic was evident in my voice, "Where _is_ Sango?" His sad eyes met mine for only a second before they dropped to the ground. The action did nothing to ease my growing fear. "InuYasha, _where is she!?_"

It was silent for a moment and tension filled the air. My ches tightened as I saw Lady Kagome rise and move towards us. There were tears in her eyes.

"_Tell me what's wrong!"_ yelled a strangled voice. It took me a few seconds to realize that i was my own.

"Miroku," Kagome's voice was weary, "Sango's really hurt." _Was it just_ _me or was_ _it getting hard to breathe? _"Naraku knocked a tree over and she pushed you out of the way..." _Harder and harder_. "She's in bad shape." _Suffocating._

"Where is she?" I heard myself wonder.

Kagome's teras spilled over as she and InuYasha led me into the forest. We didn't go to far before we started to hear the noises. The most painfulsounds of the one you love in agony. Then there she was, laying on the forest floor. The bottom half of her body was misshapen and her face was rippled with pain.

I walked to her side and fell to my knees. Her pained eyes moved to my face and I saw he attempt a smile, but it looked more like a grimace. My eyes wandered over her. From her middle to her feet she was covered in blood. _Her blood_. I saw InuYasha and Kagome leave from the corner of my eye, and was thankful for it. I felt my eyes burn.

"Sango." Her breathing was laboured and and I knew our time was limited. "Why did you," I had to suck in a big breath," put yourself in danger like that!?"

"I love you Miroku," she said quietly. " I couldn't bare to see you hurt." As her face contorted with a fresh wave of pain, she began to cough. Her shoulders shook and blood flew from her lips. I felt something warm on my cheek. I raised my hand to my face and when I pulled it away my fingers were wet. Sango's eyes opened and she turned her head to me. Her eyes looked flat like a pond when there is no wind. "I'm sorry." I felt my heart breaking.

"Don't appollogize." I took her hand in mine. It was ice cold. "I love you Sango." The corners of her lips turned up slightly just as she let out a giant sigh of breath, then was still.

I reached out and pulled my love, my heart, my soul, onto my lap and cried.

No marriage.

No children.

No happy ending.

Just death.

And eternal suffocation.


End file.
